Holiness in the Daily Grind

Holiness is not a popular subject today, but it is an essential biblical quality each of us should pursue.

Nancy DeMoss in her book Holiness writes, 

“Holiness isn’t exactly an easy subject to ‘sell.’ It‘s not one of the top ten topics people look for in a Christian bookstore, there aren’t a lot of hit songs about holiness; and I can count on two hands the number of messages I recall hearing on the theme.”

In the book The Hole in Our Holiness author Kevin DeYoung it states,

“The hole in our holiness is that we don’t really care much about it. …Believers want ‘community acceptance’ not to be called legalistic, prudish, narrow-minded, old fashioned, holier-than-thou, or worst of all, a fundamentalist.”

D. A. Carson said,

“People do not drift toward holiness. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”

Holiness is being set apart from the common, worldly or corrupt and being set apart to our holy God. Every Christian should have this desire. 

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie” (John 1:6).

How Do We Become Holy?  ​

Salvation is God’s work and must come first. We acknowledge our sin and accept His free gift, and He imparts salvation which Jesus Christ purchased with His shed blood. After salvation the sanctification process begins. This too is God’s work, but sanctification includes our effort and cooperation. This is where holiness or holy living comes in. We cooperate with the Spirit to produce holiness in our lives as we flee sinful and selfish behavior and yield ourselves to fulfill the deeds which please God.

How Is Holiness Lived Out?

The book of James tells us what holiness looks like. He emphasizes practical godly behavior. James was the brother of Jesus, and James saw what holy living looked like in everyday life. ​

• James encourages us to be holy during trials by being joyful and patient as we endure with faith. (1:2, 3, Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.)
• We are to show holiness with our good works (1:22, Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.); in our relationships (4:11, Do not speak evil of one another.); and by our speech (3:10, Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. These things ought not to be so.).
• Holiness should be evident in our personal lives by not giving in to worldliness (4:4, Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.), not allowing money to corrupt us (5:3, Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you.), and avoiding pride (4:16, You boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.).

​God said, “Be ye holy, as I am holy.” Holiness isn’t some unattainable quality reserved for heaven. God gives us strength to live out this command as we partner with Him in our daily lives here on earth. Are you striving toward holy living in your everyday life? ​

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Holiness by ​Nancy Leigh DeMoss

"​How important is holiness to you? How much thought, attention, and effort do you devote to the pursuit of holiness? Is it your priority and mission to be holy?

Nancy Leigh DeMoss teaches that we must make it our constant, conscious ambition to be holy. Just as an athlete sets his sight on winning an Olympic gold medal, so we as believers must focus on the pursuit of holiness. And the reward that awaits us brings a depth of joy that far outweighs a fading gold medal; it is the humble pleasure of hearing the Father say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Do you long for an authentic faith? Are you eager to know your heavenly Father in a more intimate way? Read Holiness and learn how to say 'no' to corruption and 'yes' to grace. 

​Holiness is the third book in The Revive OurHearts Series, which has sold well over 240,000 copies. All three include study questions at the end of each chapter, making them ideal for personal or small group study." —goodreads

The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung

​The "hole in our holiness" is that evangelicals don't look particularly holy, and, despite the flood of gospel-centered discussions, there seems to be a greater focus on personal depravity than on the pursuit of holiness. Looking to right the balances, Kevin DeYoung presents a popular-level treatment of sanctification and union with Christ, helping readers to see what matters most—being like Jesus. He shows how one can be like Christ in being joined to Christ. The market is ready for DeYoung's timely book, ready to avoid legalism and ambivalence, and they are ready for someone to articulate the inextricable relationship between grace and holiness." —goodreads

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Of the characteristics James describes about holiness which do you struggle with the most?